‘Star Trek’ Actor Anton Yelchin Dead At 27

UPDATE: The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed Yelchin's death with a statement from Jenny Hauser, LAPD spokesperson, corroborating previous reports on the incident. Read below:

"A fatal traffic collision happened in Studio City. On Sunday, June 19 at 1:10 in the morning, a fatal traffic collision occurred. It was the result of the victim’s own car rolling backwards down his steep driveway, pinning him against a brick mailbox pillar and security fence. The victim was on his way to meet his friends for rehearsal. And when he didn’t show up, his friends went to his house, where they found him deceased by his car. It appeared he had momentarily exited his car leaving it in the driveway."

Paramount Pictures, the studio behind J.J. Abrams' Star Trek franchise, has also issued a statement in the wake of the actor's tragic passing.

"All of us at Paramount join the world in morning the untimely passing of Anton Yelchin," it reads. "As a member of the Star Trek family, he was beloved by so many and he will missed by all. We share our deepest condolences with his mother, father and family."

ORIGINAL POST: Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin has died at age 27 following an auto accident, AP confirms.

TMZ, who originally reported the news, claims that Yelchin's friends grew concerned after he never showed up for a rehearsal on Saturday night (June 18). After heading to his house in the San Fernando Valley around 1 AM on June 19, they found the actor pinned by his car. Thus far, his death appears to be a freak accident.

Yelchin was born on March 11, 1989, in what was known as Leningrad in the former U.S.S.R., now known as St. Petersburg, Russia. He emigrated to the United States as an infant with his professional figure-skater parents, Irina Korina and Viktor Yelchin.

The gifted young actor was best known for his role as Chekov in the most recent Star Trek films; he also starred as Charley Brewster in the 2011 Fright Night remake. He recently led horror-thriller Green Room, which saw wide release in 2016, and nabbed earlier acclaim for roles in Alpha Dog and 2013's Odd Thomas.